Ball rack for pool tables



- 1,549,358 L. F. HAMME, JR

BALL RACK FOR POOL TABLES Filed Jan. 2, 1925 ,12'91- l lvwantolo ,Lee'jlajnnw Jl:

Gell muy Augf 11, 1925.

Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFM-Sri.

LEE F. FIAMME, JR., O'F OXFORD, NORTH CAROLINA.

BALL RACK FOR POOL TABLES.

Application filed January 2, 1925. Serial No. 210.

To all whom t may conce-m.: which projects throughan opening T in the Be it known that I, LEE F. HAMME, Jr., bottom of the table. A pitman 8 connects a citizen of the United States, residing at the lower portion of the. stein to a crank Oxford, in the county of Granville and arm 9 provided at one end of a shaft l0.

State of North Carolina, have invented a This shaft is journaled in suitable bearing 60 new and useful Ball Rack for Pool Tables, 11 and projects beyond one wall of the table of which the following is a specification. where it is provided with a crank handle This invention relates to a rack for use 12 or the like whereby the shaft can be roin placing balls on a pool table. l-leretofore tated readily. rThe parts are so positioned l0 it has been the practice to use a triangular that when the crank arm 9 is moved up- 65 frame for this purpose. This frame has wardly slightly past its dead center, it will been a separate piece which is easily inisbring the link 8 against a suitable stop 13 placed and broken and requires more or less suoli as shown for examplein Fig. 3. guess work in the proper placingI of the Pins 14 are secured to the head 5 and are 15 balls. slidable within openings l5 in the top of the 70 It is an object of the present invention table and if desired, these pins may be proto provide a ball rack which is built into vided at their upper ends with coverings i6 the table and will always accurately posiof felt adapted, when the pins are in their tion the balls, this rack being of such a type lowermost positions, to fill the openings in that it will disappear after the balls have the felt cover 4 which receive the pins when 75 been racked and will at no time interfere raised. with proper playing. The pins are so disposed that, when pro- With the foregoing and other objects in jected above the table top, they will define view which will appear as the description a space into which the balls can be placed.

proceeds, the invention resides in the coni- The pins are located in groups 1T at each 80 bination and arrangement of parts and in apex of the triangle defined .thereby and the details of construction hereinafter deadditional pins are located between these scribed and claimed, it being understood groups 17 as shown at 13 in Fig. 1. that changes in the precise embodiment of Under normal conditions the head rests the invention herein disclosed may be made upon the bottom of the recess 2 and the 85 within the scope of what is claimed withfelt coverings of the ends of the pins 14 lie out departing from the spirit of the inflush with the felt covering 4. Thus the vention. table can be used as ordinarily without in In the accompanying drawings the preterference by the pins. When it is desired ferred form of the invention has been to rack the balls before beginning a game, 90 shown, the crank handle 12 is shifted in one direc- In said drawings tion so as to cause the arm 9 to pull up- Figure l is a plan view of a portion of wardly on pitman 8 and stem 6. Thus the a table having the present improvements head 5 will be elevated and the pins pushed 4.o combined therewith, the position of the upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 95 rack under the top of the table being indi- 2 and 3. The balls can then be placed in cated by dotted lines. the space surrounded by these pins and will Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2, Fig. l. quickly assume their proper relations to Fig. 3 is a section through a portion of each other so as to form a compact trithe table on line 3 3, Fig. 2. angular group. Immediately thereafter the 100 Referring to the figures by characters of pins can be retracted by moving the head reference4 l designates a pool table which 5 downwardly whereupon the table will be is of the ordinary construction except a rein condition for playing. It will be noted cess 2 is formed in the table directly under that when the pins are elevated and the link 5o the point where the balls are to be racked, or pitman 8 is past its dead center and 105 this recess being closed at the top by the against stop 13, the parts will be held eleusual slate 3 or other top structure of the vated until shaft l0 is positively rotated to table on which the felt covering 4 is placed. lower them. In this recess is slidably mounted a triangu- Obviously various means can be used for lar head 5 from which depends a stem 6 controlling the actuation to shaft 10. These 110 means can be in the form of check controlled apparatus and as the same consti* tutes no part of the present invention, no attempt has been made to disclose it in the present case.

What is claimed is l. The combination with a pool table, of a ball rack normally concealed under the top surface of the table, and means for elevating the rack to active position, said rack being disposed at all times inwardly from the edges of the table.

2. The combination with a pool table, of a rack normally concealed under the playing surface of the table and means for actuating the rack to project ball engaging portions above the playing surface, said rack being disposed at all times inwardly from the edges or' the table.

3. The combination with a pool table, o a plurality of pins slidable in the table and having their upper ends normally flush with the playing surface othe table, and means for projecting the pins upwardly above said surfaces for use as a ball rack.

l. The combination with a pool table, ot' pins slidably mounted therein and having their upper ends normally flush with the playing surface of the table, and means` for simultaneously moving the pins upwardly relative to said surface to form a ball rack.

5. The combination with a vpool table, of a structure concealed therein and mounted for sliding movement, a plurality oii pins projecting from said structure and normally liush with the playing surface of the table, and means for shitting said structure relative to the table to simultaneously project the upper ends of the pins to positions above thereof, of a structure mounted for reci rocation within the recess, pins extent ing from said structure and slidable in the to of the table, said pins being normally flusi with the table top, means l'or shift-ing said structure to project the pins above thetable top, and means for holding the pins in pro jected positions.

8. Thecombination with a pool table having a recess therein, of a head mounted for up and down movement therein, pins projecting from the head and slidable in the top of the table, said pins being normally flush with the playing surface of the table, a stem depending from the head, an actuating shaft, means provided by the shaft for elevating the head to shift the pins Vabovethe pla in surface, and means for holding the liea and pins in elevated position. i

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

LEE F. HAMME, Ja

Witnesses J. P. HARRIS, J. B. CARROLL. 

